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The saying, “Everything old is new again” seems to be ringing true this week at HOC. A lot of our inspirations have a very retro feeling to them. But then, maybe that’s all inspiration really is – the past (distant or recent) influencing what we create or do next in the future. However you define it, we hope these inspirations help you end your week on a high note.

“My best friend has recently turned an (adorable) hobby into a side business and I’m absolutely obsessed with it! Spring is right around the corner and considering my serious lack of a green thumb, these are perfect pops of color for the office, home, spring shower or whatever.” Rachel

“In the chaos that is often ‘business travel’ I try to be aware of the beauty around me. My most recent visit to Miami was a feast for the eyes. The long hours are worth it when your view is of great art, and natural beauty.” Lisa

“Bill Domonkos’s gifs inspire me because even though his mood is always gloomy, you can find touching beauty in the middle of all the sadness. The very eerie and atemporal feel of his work makes me wonder about the lives and times of the people in his imagines as I try to imagine how different they are from my own.” Ana

“Sometimes my inspiration just comes a quiet moment at the beach.” Wendy

“My old friend Andrew has spent the last 15 years living in eastern Europe and the former Yugoslavia nations. He is a writer and his physical location is not important to his employers, so the vagabond life has worked out well for him. The quote below, from a recent interview, encapsulates why Andrew is an inspiration to me.” Scott B.“I didn’t want to spend the rest of my days wondering “what if.” So I changed my life, and here I am. The unpredictability can be scary at times, but I believe I would rather feel scared and alive than comfortable and depressed.” Andrew Kerr

“My inspiration this week is Historic Grant Park. I love how Atlanta always finds a way to breathe new life into its history. We have a unique ability to merge modern convenience with antique beauty. Its even rumored the fountain may be restored to working condition soon!” Lamar

“Cars in general, and vintage cars in particular have always inspired me with their creativity, design and performance. None more so than the 1935 Duesenberg SJ Mormon Meteor Speedster. By being so vastly ahead of its time, this car is rolling, roaring proof that human will, drive and innovation are the only limits of what is possible.” Scott G.

Hello human friends! This week’s inspiration comes to us from fellow animals of Instagram, way better at social media than most mere humans. How much better you ask? “Some tens of thousands of followers better” we reply!

We begin the list with our absolute favorite, Nutello the pug. To put this in terms you’ll surely understand, Nutello is the Ryan Gosling of dog kind. We’re not kidding, we day dream about him at least 5 times a day.

Now, the greatest thing about Nutello is that while we all know he’s just your ordinary everyday down to Earth pug, he can still surprise you by being a hot & trendy jet setter on his way to a business meeting in Beijing regarding the import of some hundreds of pairs of shoes to chew on. Woof!

Unfortunately this has never happened to us, but we’ve heard that when Nutello romances a female dog, Nutello conquers her heart by being a combination of dorky, gangsta’, artistic, adventurous and romantic. When he isn’t dressing up like his favorite characters or drowning his sorrow in his bodyweight’s equivalent of beer, Nutello loves conquering the slopes on snowboarding escapades and working out and does it with stylishness that leaves us wondering: “Huh! Why didn’t we think of that?”

You know we love ALL animals, but there’s a special place in the Instagram Hall of Fame strictly reserved for hedgehogs. These cute goldmines are literally walking/crawling photo-opportunities, and we have been studying your behavior for long enough to know that humans are simply not programmed to ignore tiny baby animals.

Turbo the African pygmy hedgehog, not only an accomplished guitar player slash avid reader and drinker of Chinese tea while watching TV, owns so much awesome tiny furniture that it almost makes us want to call Lego and ask if those come in doggy sizes. Even if he’s clearly a perfect being and accomplished Gourmet chef, Turbo is only hedgehog after all, so he sometimes screws up by eating at McDonalds.

If you thought it couldn’t possibly get any cuter, we give you Darcy.

Just as his British name suggests, Darcy possesses a certain je ne sais qui that makes him do to our sensitive puppy hearts what global warming does to glaciers.

We couldn’t possibly bark about the hedgehogs of Instagram without mentioning Mr. Expressivity himself, his hedgy shortness Marutaro, the hog with a thousand faces.

Not having to compete with others of his kind because he has created a category for himself, Marutaro sometimes lets humans hold him and fancies lounging in very snuggly positions, so much so that he make us both kind of want to spoon him, possibly at the same time.

There’s a special place in our hearts for Maru the Shiba.

Although with his appealing athletic doggie-build he is clearly not what you would call a tiny animal, he manages to be irresistibly cute with his sometimes awkward positions and Napoleon Dynamite-esque vibes. His owners must be very happy to have him and of course those 1.4m followers help. How do you do it, Maru, how DO you do it?!!

Everybody knows we’re not the greatest cat fans, but lastly, we were also just-a-bit inspired by Tard the grumpy cat, who does hit a few spots quite close to our home.

His witty captions make him sound like one of our human owners, sometimes, like when they’re having a really bad day and then accidentally kick a door with their pinky toe.

That’s all from us Trixie and Sophie for this week, you folks take care and have a great weekend, we know we will!

Bursting with creativity and fashion enthusiasm, FWNY’s biggest challenge was the February weather. Generating a noticeable uptick in the presence of commercial and casual retail brands, established retail veterans who traditionally spend their marketing dollars elsewhere (advertising campaigns, events, catalogs, promotions) are now channeling some of those budgets into runway shows.

Spring 2015’s darling print is gingham, but not just any gingham, the “grownup” version. It makes a transition from Easter Sunday to naughty Friday via a sophisticated makeover at the hand of designers Diane von Furstenberg, Michael Kors and Oscar de la Renta who go “full gingham”. More moderately, Proenza Schouler and Trademark reinterpreted it according to their respective visions.

Throw on a Kimono

This Japanese classic gets schooled by the likes of Alexander Wang, 3.1 Phillip Lim, BCBG and Vera Wang into even more minimalism, as impossible as that may sound since the word “kimono” unpretentiously translates as “thing to wear”. Meanwhile, The Row brings homage to the classic kimono and Richard Chai veers it towards a jacket.

In the Army now

Everyone, get your militia mood on! The army jacket was already an institution, but thanks to Marc Jacobs and his no makeup (yes, you read me well) bowl-cut black wigs and Victoria Beckham’s uniform enthusiasm now the whole world is in agreement. Others that enrolled: Peter Som, Rag&Bone, Rodarte, Hugo Boss and Coach.

Suede is for softness

Designers were really into suede, as opposed to the stiffness of lester. They showed that on both head-to-toe workwear dresses and matching sets. Michael Kors, Jason Wu, Ralph Lauren andTommy Hilfiger have presented some suede-tastic pieces.

Go Vest

And not because it’s peaceful there but because it’s the cross gender coat alternative / stand alone top that can make or break an otherwise banal outfit. Some vest aficionados this season: 3.1 Phillip Lim, Zero Maria Cornejo, Tory Burch, Tome and Ostwald Helgason.

Trending shoes for 2015

Flats, lots and lots of flats. city girl AND ballerina
Graphic beauties (where geometry meets futurism)
Gladiators but not just any gladiators, sexy gladiator
Mules, all kinds of mules
High platforms with high heels